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0. A. DENISON.

POTATO BIGGER.

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N. PETERS. Pholo-Lilhographcn Washingibn, n. c.

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CHARLES A. DENISON, OF GREENBUSH, NElV YOBK.

POTATO- DIGGER.

SPE-IEIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,346, dated November 25, 1884.

Application filed December 12, 1883. (N model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES A. DENISON, of

' Greenbush, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Diggers, of which the following is a full and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2, a plan view of the same; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section at the line m0 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a partial side elevation of the leading-wheel side of the machine, and Fig. 5 a detached side elevation of one of the operating-levers.

As illustrated in the drawings, A is the frame-work of the machine, provided with pole a, drivers seat a, and being rigidly at tached to the axle B, on which the'wheels O are fitted to revolve freely.

D is the plow-beam, for which the axle B serves as a pivotal center, and having secured to its under side the plow D, which consists of a cutter or colter, d, (for making a vertical cut in the soil,) an inclined blade, (1, for raising and breaking up the soil containing the potatoes, and an oblique flange, d", (formed on the uppersurface of the blade d,) for directing the broken soil and potatoes toward the rearinost edge of the blade (2. A lever, E, fulcrunied to the side of the frame Anear the beam D, is provided with a grooved quadrant, c, to which one end of the chain c is fastened. The other end of said chain is attached to the beam D, and the parts are so arranged that by means of the lever E the beam D and its attachments can be elevated so as to raise the plow D clear from the surface of the ground, I

as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. A pawl, e", is pivoted to the lever E, and arranged to engage in the notches of the quadrant e H, is arranged in the forward end of said bracket to rotate freely on a pin, h. Said pin is adapted to fit into any of the holes formed in the lugs on the upper side of said bracket, so as to raise or lower the wheel H, and thereby efiect a corresponding variation in the depth of the penetration into the soil of the plow D and pointed bar F, as occasion requires. The inner, end of the bracket G is connected by means of the rod 2' to a bent lever, I, that is fulcrurned to the outer side of the beam D. Said lever is provided with a springlatch, i, that engages in the notches of a quadrant, i, so as to lock the lever I, and thus secure its connected parts in any required position. By

-means of the lever I and pivoted bracket G the plow D can be thrown down to a lower plane, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig.

4, while the leading-wheel I I continues to bear upon the surface of the ground, and this feature is particularly important in starting the plow in making a furrow, and, where the machine is used upon very uneven ground, to effect a sudden and momentary depression of the plow to penetrate below the surface of the soil in abrupt gullies.

J represents trailing bars or separators, loosely pivoted to the under side of the plowblade d near the rearmost side of said blade.

Said separators are adapted to slide along the bottom of the cut made by the plow D, and each of them is provided at its rearmost end with two upturned points, 3' and j, one of said points being formed behind the other, and the rearmost one being deflected sidewise,as shown in Fig. 2, to follow in the wake of the space left between every two adjacent separators. The purpose of these upturned points is to break up the soil raised by the plow D and, force the potatoes up to the top of the broken soil.

K is a guard pivoted to the left side of the plow D, and arranged to swing freely up and down while dragging over the surface of the ground. Said guard is employed for the purpose of preventing the discharge of the potatoes at that side where they would come in the path of the machine while making the next succeeding furrow.

I am aware of the patent to Riggs, No. 184,480, granted November 21, 1876, wherein it.is proposed to pivot to the under surface of a potato digging scoop a series of trailing D, and plow D, of the bent lever I, fulcrumcd bars having upturned fingers, and do not to the outer side of the plow-beam, said lever therefore claim the features thus broadly being provided with means for looking it in shown in the said patent. any desired position, the bracket G, pivoted 5 I claim as my invention to the beam at g, the said bracket having a 20 1. In apotato-digger, the combination, with short arm, to which the lever I is pivoted by the plow-blade d, of the trailing bars J, piV- the link i, and being provided at its forward oted beneath the rear edge of said plow-blade, end with a series of holes, for engagement and each provided with upturned fingers j and 1 of the axle-pin h, whereby the wheel H may 10 9', one of said fingers being formed behind the be raised or lowered at will, substantially as 25 other and deflected sidewise toward the outer shown and described.

wheel of the plow, substantially as shown'and CHARLES A. DENISON. described. 'XVitnesses:

2. In a potato-digger, the combination,with \VM. H. Low, 15 the wheeled frame and tongue, the plow-beam S. B. BREWER. 

